


To Be Better

by JediMara77



Series: Del Meeko [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Battlefront 2, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 04:38:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12951459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JediMara77/pseuds/JediMara77
Summary: Del Meeko discusses his mission to Pillio.





	To Be Better

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for the single-player campaign of Battlefront 2.

Princess Leia's office was just as unassuming as the Princess herself. On the surface, it was similar to all the other offices on starships he had visited throughout his military career, but on a much smaller scale. Barely larger than a supply closet, the furnishings were simple and sparse: metal desk, one black padded chairs behind the desk and two more across from it. Del assumed the Princess did not hold many in-depth meetings inside this room and utilized it for datawork and solitude only. 

The door was open when he approached. He hesitated, almost talking himself out of this stupid idea, before knocking on the wall. The Princess glanced up at the noise. "Lieutenant Meeko. This is a pleasant surprise. I usually don't see you away from Commander Versio."

Del ducked his head. "She's, uh..." He didn't actually know where the Commander was at the moment. He supposed she was doing some commander-y tasks under her new leadership. Which was also his new leadership, now that he thought about it. This Rebellion business was going to take some getting used to. "She's busy."

"So you came to spend time with me instead. I'm flattered. Please, come in." 

At her invitation, Del moved to one of the chairs across from her, but did not sit. A datapad sat on the desk in front of her, along with a holocube and several other personal effects he didn't recognize. Judging by her furrowed brow and the dark circles under her eyes, she had been deep in some sort of analysis. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." 

"Of course not. I could use a distraction, anyway." She gestured for him to sit, so she did. She was royalty, after all. She graced him with a genuine smile. "What can I do for you?"

Unable to resist, he glanced at her datapad screen. From this angle it was hard to read, but the image--a galactic map showing strategic holdings of the Empire--was unmistakable. One of the planets jumped out out him: Pillio. He swallowed a lump in his throat. Had Princess Leia already spoken with Skywalker about their mission? That would make this conversation easier. Hopefully.

"I wanted to thank you for accepting us into the Rebellion. Commander Versio and me, I mean."  

"The New Republic, Lieutenant Meeko." 

"Yes, Your Highness. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It'll take some time for me to get used to that name, too. I've been a rebel for far too long. And please, call me Leia." 

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," he said on instinct. He cleared his throat. "I mean, Leia." The name sounded odd on his tongue. Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan had been one of the most wanted citizens in the Empire. After joining the Rebel--the New Republic, he corrected himself--Del had learned she was the sister of another powerful enemy of the Empire, Luke Skywalker. The connection had seemed almost too convenient. After what Del had experienced on Pillio, he knew he had to speak with her, and this was the first time he'd gotten to himself since defecting. 

He hadn't even told Iden about Pillio yet.  

_ She might still be your commander, but you don't owe her anything. You're not Imperials anymore. The New Republic is more egalitarian. There's no reason to worship her as much as you do. _

He snorted to himself. That wasn't likely to change anytime soon. 

"What did you want to speak to me about, Lieutenant Meeko?" she broke into his thoughts. 

"Del," he said. If the Princess insisted he call her by her first name, it was only proper she did the same to him. "I, uh." He tugged at his collar. Why was he so nervous? He'd grown up on Coruscant. He had served under Admiral Versio for the past four years. He should be used to speaking with important people, especially unassuming ones like Leia. Perhaps that was the problem. He'd been trained to stand military straight, yell "sir, yes sir," and carry out orders to the best of his abilities. He'd never learned how to be...better.

"After the Battle of Endor I was assigned to a mission on the planet Pillio," he began, gesturing at her datapad. "My task was simple: to destroy one of the Emperor's observatories there."

Leia nodded. "Yes, we've heard about those. Were you successful?"

Del shook his head. "I thought it would be a simple mission, but the planet was...angry." He couldn't think how else to describe it. He recounted his arrival on Pillio, fighting off the strange bugs, and being trapped in amber. "I called out for help. I expected it to come in the form of stormtroopers, not a Jedi dressed in black."   

Leia's eyes brightened. "You saw Luke!" Del would never have expected the stoic Princess to sound so excited. But Skywalker was her brother, after all. 

Her surprise indicated it was up to him to tell the tale. Great. "He saved me twice, even though I was the enemy. All because I asked. Then we fought our way to the observatory together." Del told the rest of the story quickly, remembering that awful feeling like he was standing at the edge of a precipice and couldn't summon the urge to leap.  _ A choice to be better _ . He still didn't know what the blazes that meant. 

Leia listened silently, her demeanor growing serious with each word he spoke. "I'm surprised he didn't bring you back with him."

"He wouldn't have taken me prisoner," he protested. 

"That's not what I meant. Luke can be very persuasive." She bit her lip, her eyes suddenly far away, like she was remembering something painful. "I guess your continued service is a testament to the power of the Empire."

_ Or a testament to how stupid I am _ . Del shook off the thought. That would make Iden stupid, too. But she'd always believed in the cause more than he had. As a boy growing up on Coruscant, he didn't have much of a choice but to serve the Empire. Or so he'd thought. "At the time I couldn't even fathom joining the Rebellion...the New Republic." He waved a hand. 

"Why not?" 

Leia's question was so simple, but it threw him for a loop. Shame washed over him, but wasn't there an old saying about confession being good for the soul? Time to find out. 

"If I didn't have the urge to defect after Alderaan..." Del paused to collect his thoughts, but Leia didn't even flinch at the mention of her home planet. "The Empire said Alderaan was full of Rebels, and blowing up the planet was the only possible recourse. But I could never truly believe it. Even as my doubts grew, and I realized what the Empire was capable of, I couldn't bring myself to leave Inferno Squad."  _ Iden _ . He kept that thought to himself. 

"If you came here to apologize to me, Del, it's unnecessary. You didn't issue the order to destroy Alderaan. You didn't press the trigger." 

_ No, but I toasted with Alderaanian wine _ . A test by Admiral Versio, to be sure, but he'd passed with flying colors. "I just don't understand how any of you can trust us. If I didn't defect after Alderaan...if I didn't choose to return to the Rebellion with your brother..." He trailed off. "It wasn't that I thought the Empire was right. By then I knew we'd all been misled. I guess I believed I deserved to go down with the ship." 

Leia frowned. "There are plenty of former Imperials in the New Republic, Del. If we didn't accept you, if we didn't believe you could truly change, then what was the point of the Rebellion the first place? Hell,  _ I _ was once an Imperial." 

Del blinked. "I never thought about it that way."

Leia leaned over and patted his hand. "If you ever want to confide in someone about defecting, I've got a long list of possibilities." She cocked her head. "Have you spoken with Commander Versio about all this?" 

Del felt his cheeks warm. "Not yet."

"You probably should. I imagine she feels the same way you do."

Perhaps, perhaps not. Was that what he was afraid of? "Yes, ma'am." He corrected himself at the last second. "Leia." 

She smiled. "Was there anything else you wanted?"

That was a dangerous question if he'd ever heard one. "Skywalker was searching for something, or someplace, rather. He said the Force had brought us together. I didn't understand it at the time, but I'm starting to think maybe he was right. When all this is over," Del waved a hand, indicating the war in general, "I was hoping I could help him." 

She raised her eyebrows before closing her eyes for a few moments.

"I don't have the Force," he said quickly, realizing what she must be doing. "Your brother would have noticed it. I just..." He didn't know how to explain that he felt his destiny lay with Skywalker and the Force. Thankfully, he didn't have to.

"I'm not sure where exactly Luke is, or what he's doing," Leia said, "but the next time I speak to him, I'll mention the possibility. At the very least, I'm sure he'd love to speak with you again."

"Thank you." Del breathed a sigh of relief before saying farewell and hurrying from the office. Part of him felt lighter, but the other part of him felt more burdened than ever. He dreaded confiding in Iden. Would she laugh at him? Order him to stay with Inferno Squad even after the war was over? Did he  _ want _ to stay? 

Would he have any reason to? 


End file.
